Do You See What They See?
I suppose I'm known for having a deep passion for connecting unconnected people.
And I suspect that some of my friends believe my passion for connecting unconnected people comes at the expense of any serious commitment to genuinely fruitful disciple-making.
But I have to tell you, I don't see it that way.
Here's how I see it. Unconnected people are always one tough thing away from never being at your church again. For me, it always starts there.
In addition, I believe we are each accountable for the way we steward the people who attend our church. And while I realize that unconnected people have a responsibility too, for the most part, I want to hear, "Well done. You did a good job caring for the unconnected people who came to your church."
I believe we are each accountable for the way we steward the people who attend our church. And while I realize that unconnected people have a responsibility too, for the most part, I want to hear, Well done. You did a good job caring… Click To Tweet
Making things a little more complicated, I believe we need to become experts at understanding how unconnected people see things. If we were really trying to reach them we would do that. We would become experts. We'd learn what their tastes are. We'd learn about their needs and hopes and dreams and interests. See also, 5 Things You Need to Know about Connecting Unconnected People.
Most importantly, we would learn to empathize with unconnected people. We would learn to see what they see. And that's not an easy thing to do. The natural order of things is for each of us to think only about our own interests; about our own needs, hopes, and dreams.
"Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection—or compassionate action." Daniel Goleman
Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift… Click To Tweet
Do you see what they see? Or can you only see things from your perspective?
Image by Tina Leggio
